Triassic Reptile

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Triassic Reptile

Photograph by James L. Amos

This middle-Triassic reptile found in Switzerland measures only about 9 inches (23 centimeters) in length. Called Pachypleurosaurus edwardsi, these primitive amphibious reptiles were nothosaurs, among the first reptiles to venture into the shallow seas of the Triassic.